New Charter Academy, Broadoak Road, Ashton-U-Lyne, OL6 8RF
24th February 2014
Bridge Street,
Westminster,
London,
SW1A OAA
Dear David Heyes,
I am writing to you concerning the ever growing issue of animal testing and vivisection. For hundreds of years animals have been tampered with and killed for one reason alone - to satisfy our medicinal tenacities. Over 600,000 animals have been used this year alone; this figure is astounding and utterly shocking! These vulnerable, exposed creatures languish in pain everyday of their lives. Can you imagine living like this? After reading an article by Peter Tatchell, a human rights campaigner, it has intrigued and inspired me to make people aware of this urgent subject. I hope, after reading what I have to say, you will raise this issue in Parliament.
As humans, how can we treat another being so horrendously? The pain that is inflicted on these un-consenting animals is the basis of my enmity towards it. Vivisection must stop! As Tatchell suggests, we MUST find a plausible humane replacement.
Too many people, it comes as a surprise that the number of invasive medical experiments involving animals has continuously increased since modern records began in 1986. It is stated in Tatchell's article that nearly 3.7 million experiments were performed on animals last year. Why are we so reliant on these creatures that have been proven to be so different to us? Animals rarely serve as good replicas for the human body. No matter how diligently researchers try, they cannot recreate the spontaneously occurring diseases that human’s contract. They have a completely different bio mechanical, anatomical, and physiological structure to humans and these are far too great to overcome. Only artificial mutations can be made. To top that, animals are forcefully injected and operated on without the use of general anaesthetic. Disgusting. Peter Tatchell explains in his article that the reality of what applies to humans, certainly may not apply to humans.
He uses HIV as an example. It is a deadly virus to humans but is harmless to lab animals; so why test on them when correct data cannot be collected? Not only HIV, but disorders like cystic fibrosis and multiple sclerosis do not have accurate animal role models, yet testing is still carried out. Undoubtedly, there are many scientific flaws in vivisection, and these stats verify this. 92% of drugs which passed the animal trials, failed to perform when given to humans in clinical trials. They are either too ineffectual, or too toxic to use on humans.
A pitiful 8% overall success rate! Catastrophic. Wouldn’t you agree?
Tatchell refers to this as "bad science". These results display no meticulous reason why animal testing should proceed. It is never 100% confirmed that these experiments can forecast the truth. I do accept there are many similarities between some animals and humans, for example humans and monkeys. We share traits like: reasoning, planning and the capacity to feel physiological pain. Nonetheless it does not give us the right to experiment on them. The monkeys are scalded, which highly lethal acids poured on their raw, shaven skin. Appalling. Just imagine the excruciating pain that these monkeys have to endure. It sends shivers down my spine. Tatchell implies that it is a atrocious abuse to thinking and feeling creatures to force them to endure such harmful procedures in desolate imprisonment. I completely agree with Tatchell, it seems that some scientists perceive animals to be inferior as they cannot refuse the barbaric acts bestowed upon them.
Of course I do understand the importance of vivisection and the breakthroughs it has provided for the medical field. I am highly grateful that. However, Tatchell states, these breakthroughs might have also come about through non animal experimentation, if only they had been funded by the governments. Tatchell reminds us that many successive governments have failed to find promised alternatives to vivisection. I sincerely hope you will not let this happen again. Instead of wasting money the public pay as tax it should be used to fund benevolent alternatives to vivisection.
I would know like to inform you of some of the many alternatives that are available. To begin with, there is computer stimulation using super computers. This only requires virtual experimentation. No harmful substances or drugs go into the procedure. Computers can successfully mimic and display a precise model of the human anatomy without harming living creatures. In my opinion, there is simply only one way to describe animal testing - Outdated!
In summary, I would like to express that, I along with many others, am strongly against animal testing. We need to stop endangering animals and let them live a carefree life without the fear of being tampered with. Like humans, animals too are sentient beings. I cannot explain the amount of terror, agonising and unbearable pain an animal has to be put through during testing. They are burnt, cut open, electrocuted and put through such harsh conditions and often, as the statistics show for no gain.
I believe that the inhumanity of animal testing has gone unnoticed for too long now. Funding for alternatives from the government is essential to act against vivisection. I believe that any cruelty that is inflicted on either animals or humans is pure savagery.
The abuse of animals, whether in sport, farming, circuses, cosmetics or the medical industry is nothing but a stain on human-kind. As my respected MP, I know that you will put in all your effort into rectifying these issues. I really hope that you will take all this into consideration, and raise these issues in Parliament. With your support, we can help make a positive impact and halt this brutality.
